Cambridge City Council and Ikea named living wage champions 2016

Cambridge City Council and Ikea are among the organisations who have won a Living Wage Champion Award 2016, in recognition of their efforts in implementing, promoting and celebrating the voluntary living wage in their respective regions.

The Living Wage Foundation’s annual awards celebrate accredited living wage employers, recognised service providers or individuals who have made a significant contribution to the living wage movement.

Retail organisation Ikea won the Living Wage Champion Award for the north west region, and Cambridge City Council took the award for the east of England. Other winners include Allpay for the West Midlands, CalMac Ferries for Scotland, and Penrose Care for London.

KPMG has been awarded a special commendation for its outstanding contribution to the living wage campaign.

The living wage is a voluntary rate. It is set independently and calculated according to the basic cost of living. The living wage is currently set at £8.45 an hour for the UK, and £9.75 an hour for London-based employees.

The 2016 Champion Award winners are:

The Workplace Depot, East Midlands

Cambridge City Council, East of England

Penrose Care, London

Children North East, North East

Ikea, North West

Belfast Cleaning Society, Northern Ireland

CalMac Ferries, Scotland

Cook, South East

Axminster Tool Centre, South West

FITM8, Wales

Allpay, West Midlands

Winder Power, Yorkshire and the Humber

Pernille Hagild, country HR manager at Ikea UK, said: “Introducing the living wage is not only the right thing to do for our co-workers, but it also makes good business sense. This is a long-term investment in our people based on our values and our belief that a team with good compensation and working conditions is in a position to provide a great experience to our customers.”

Councillor Richard Johnson, executive councillor for communities at Cambridge City Council, said: “This award is tremendous news for the council and it is an honour to [have] won the award for the second year in succession.

“By paying the living wage, employers can retain their staff longer, keep them more motivated and improve their organisation’s image [with] the public.”